This clerk wasn’t having it against these robbers, and his attitude is exemplary! If you have Attitude, Skills, and Plan in place, you can overcome when danger comes your way.

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What does this video teach us about defending ourselves against robbers?

We must never settle for being able to protect ourselves against a lone attacker because of how common multiple attacker engagements are. Rats travel in packs, so we must always be prepared to face multiple attackers!

One of the challenges that is more and more common with multiple attackers is the concept of a “trailing accomplice.” What we see fairly often is a point man/gun man who launches the attack, and a trailing accomplice who observes from a distance and comes in when it’s time to secure what they’re after or after they identify any resistance. Just because you don’t see multiple attackers at the beginning of an encounter doesn’t mean they’re not there, so if you’re in a defensive encounter expect there to be multiple attackers.

Against multiple attackers every self-defender must know and train and practice that it’s death to focus on one too much. When every attacker is an equal threat, we practice the “Boarding House Rules” that everyone gets firsts before anyone gets seconds. If possible, stack the attackers one behind the other rather than getting between them, because if you get between them then one will have your back. It’s better if possible to work to the outside of the group and keep one between you and the others. When they’re not equal threats (like a gun man/grab man combination), the key is to be able to address the bigger threat until it’s no longer the bigger threat and then transition to whatever the biggest threat is.

The first and most foundational part of Active Self Protection’s defensive strategy of “Attitude, Skills, Plan” is Attitude. You must cultivate the attitude that you are responsible for your own self-protection and you are the primary agent in your own rescue. You and only you can choose to cultivate an attitude that no one has the right to harm you or your loved ones and you have a right and a responsibility to stop anyone who threatens to harm you and yours.

We tend (rightly) to focus on purpose-built force multipliers like firearms, knives, batons, etc. as self-defenders, but sometimes those aren’t available. While we always have our natural weapons (our body parts and empty-handed skills), we shouldn’t neglect environmental weapons that we might find at hand as well! Environmental weapons are force multipliers that aren’t necessarily designed to be used as defensive tools, but can be if necessary. For instance, a chair can become a barricade. A fruit knife can be used for personal protection. A flashlight can be used as a baton. Environmental weapons may not be as much force multiplication as purpose-built force multipliers, but in a pinch they might be all you have!

There are 3 additional lessons for Patron Members and 3 class starters for Instructors from this video, so please join us in those programs to see them!

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